Multicultural Leadership Retreat 2016

by Joel Kaskinen

@JoelKaskinen

This weekend I was invited to be a facilitator for a Multicultural Leadership Retreat hosted by the Center for Diversity and Community at the University of South Dakota, and I am so happy that I was given this incredible opportunity to work alongside colleagues and professionals in the field of Higher Education, as well as to learn from interactions with students.

In my experience, offsite retreats provide environments conducive to growth and learning in a way that is unlike any other learning environment. This weekend was no exception. Being a retreat dedicated to fostering multicultural leaders, the retreat center was designated as a brave space for all participants. A brave space allows for all who enter to feel comfortable, able, and willing to have conversation, create dialogue, and take steps out of comfort zones and into stretch zones. We wanted questions asked, statements made, and experiences and growth to occur without judgement or bias. Creating a brave space allowed for such things to happen.

I believe removing ourselves from our home communities (in this case, the University of South Dakota) and the comforts and distractions of those places, allows for the creation of brave spaces to happen organically. I’m not saying that we need to leave our communities to create brave spaces-we should create brave spaces everywhere we are-but it somehow feels easier to create brave spaces when in settings that are unfamiliar and uncomfortable, yet sought out, such as at a retreat like this.

Removing ourselves from the comforts and distractions of home also allows for genuinely deep, meaningful, emotional connections to be made and for experiential learning to occur. These types of retreats act as catalysts for student development and allow for learning to occur in a different way than that which occurs in the classroom or on campus. This was fascinating to watch and rewarding to be a part of.

During this retreat I learned about intent versus impact. I learned about the difference between safe and brave spaces. I listened to stories and experiences told by my peers. We discussed topics such as race, ethnicity, social class, gender expression, sexual identity, privilege, oppression and so much more. I engaged in conversations that were not easy to engage in. We delved into topics that are often avoided and ignored. I allowed myself to be vulnerable and to be real, raw, and genuine. I watched as others allowed themselves to do the same. I learned the importance of having these tough yet courageous conversations with my peers, students, and others. Most importantly, I grew from this experience, and I know that each and every person in attendance grew as well.

Social Justice and Higher Education go hand in hand, and that is why it is so critical for there to be multicultural leaders on college campuses (and everywhere). I am excited to keep learning how to be a multicultural leader on campus and in the world, and to continue on a path toward social justice. I hope to work alongside the students that I met this weekend and to grow as a professional with the other facilitators (colleagues) as the year continues.

I gained a lot from this experience, but the one thing that sticks with me is a quote from Disney’s Zootopia (yes, we viewed this film as a group and analyzed it from a multicultural perspective!). It is important for us to be having these conversations and to be attending retreats like this so that we may lead the world to change. So as the wise and courageous Judy Hopps said at the end of the movie…

“Look inside yourself, and recognize that change starts with you. It starts with me. It starts with all of us”